Officials in Dolton, Ill., called the purchase a rare opportunity. But some residents questioned whether the village, grappling with a deficit and potholes, could afford it.

A village in Chicago’s south suburbs is poised to purchase Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home after its board voted unanimously on Tuesday to take control of the property.

Burt Odelson, Dolton’s attorney behind the deal, said that the owner agreed to sell amid threats of Dolton taking the house via eminent domain.